The motto ”quality instead of quantity” applies both to the production of MOIMOI Accessories and to the everyday life on Raquel Alonso Miranda and Kalle Järveläinen. The two mix Mediterranean colours with Scandinavian clean style and this combination has been very popular also in our Sokos Helsinki pop-up. Raquel and Kalle believe in traditional craftsmanship, durable materials and favour small family businesses.
WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY AND BEING ECOLOGICAL MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
The whole MOIMOI way of life is somewhat responsible and ecological. We recycle almost everything, reuse materials and resources, eat the food produced locally, do not drive a car unless it is necessary, walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator and so on. Small streams become rivers!
In general, by being responsible and ecologic we can ensure a happy life for all. By responsible choices we make sure that we still have resources for nice usable items tomorrow.
HOW DOES MOIMOI PROMOTE ITS SUSTAINABILITY?
Being responsible means a lot to MOIMOI. We focus on producing good quality and long lasting products. We favor responsible production places, and stay away from fast fashion and heavy consumption of disposable products.
All our products are produced in Finland or Spain in small family businesses, like us. Since we work with small production companies, we have a close relationship with them. We know that our collaborators have good working conditions and they work under regulations. We think that giving work to the area you live instead of outsourcing it far away is very important. It also improves transparency and the control of the supply chain.
By favoring family companies near to us we maintain also jobs in the field of traditional craftsmanship. Being close also reduces the transportation needs and we are in favor of slow transportation.
We select our materials from natural options such as leather, cotton and wood. Working with natural materials we often get to work with traditional craftsmen since they have used such materials for ages. We believe that maintaining the traditional skills is a responsible thing to do.
We want to take care of our customers too. People are more considerate about what they buy, the materials used and where the products are being made. Therefore, we also need to keep up with our supply chain and we have to be sure that there is no surprises in the process. In other words, we have to be responsible and as ecologic as possible to run this show.
LEATHER IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY PERCEIVED AS A RESPONSIBLE MATERIAL – IS IT AND WHY?
Leather can be responsible if you select it carefully. The reindeer we use comes from Lapland, and the cowhide is from North of Spain. These animals are grown for the meat industry so the leather is a by-product. In addition, leather is a durable material that has a very long lifespan. This encourages people to buy less quantity and better quality, products that you can wear for years.
We use two kind of tanning processes, which are vegetal and mineral. Vegetal tanning uses tannin, a naturally occurring chemical, and so causes less environmental harm. However, vegetal tanning is much slower than mineral tanning, it is also more expensive and has a limited spectrum of colors.
Mineral tanning produces very resistant leather, which is better in wet circumstances.
Our mineral tanneries work under REACH regulations inside EU. These regulations ensure a high level protection of human health and environment.
HOW THE MATTERS CONSIDERING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY COULD BE PROMOTED MORE?
Small companies are already making a huge change in the apparel industry and people are getting more and more interested in the origin of the products they buy. We are therefore going to a better way considering consumerism. Of course, we still need to have a lot more of local production so that everyone could favour responsible and ecological products.
We think that certificates, which can protect the working conditions, human health and environment, are obviously a very good thing. They create pressure to bigger companies to take more responsibility on their actions.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR FIELD OF INDUSTRY?
There are and always will be huge challenges considering our area of work. The biggest challenge we face is finding the right balance between our designs, production places and the customers. Sometimes it is difficult to find the materials we want. Also finding those producers who meet our quality standards can be difficult.
At the same time it is a great opportunity to create jobs areas nears to you, learn new ways of working and meet wonderful people with similar ideology. We are very proud to be part of creating more sustainable and responsible way of life.